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Humans were designed to stand upright, yet in this day and age, we find ourselves spending hours hunched over the little screens of our smartphones. The average American spends 2 to 4 hours a day in this unnatural position while texting or scrolling through social media. That adds up to a whopping 700 to 1,400 hours a year!​

"The success of social media is has led to an epidemic of bad smartphone posture." –Jessica Firger, CBS News

Over time, especially with children that are developing and growing, there is an incremental loss of the natural curve, leading to hunched postures. This, in turn, increases stress on the cervical spine, making us more vulnerable to degeneration, neck pain and tension, and lower quality of spinal health. Good posture is key to optimizing your health; it is defined as ears aligned with the shoulders, with the shoulder blades retracted. However, good posture goes beyond just our physical health. Studies have found that good posture elevates testosterone and serotonin in the body, and also reduces levels of the stress hormone cortisol. Good posture has even been linked to personality traits such as tolerance for risk-taking. Not to mention it makes us appear more confident and looks better. It is a tough predicament to acknowledge because it is almost impossible to avoid the technologies that cause these issues. In the meantime, the best thing for you to do is encourage your kids to look at their phones with a neutral spine. (Ears over shoulder over hips). Moreover, maybe it is a caution to humanity that we need to put down the screens more often and be more present to the world around us.